On Tuesday, Forbes released their 2017 30 under 30 list. Featuring 20 different industries, they selected what they call “game changers”, with a total of 600 individuals on the list.
Giving a description of those who made the list as ones who think outside the box, Forbes says, “They are a passionate and formidable bunch and for good reason. Their goal is nothing short of breaking the status quo and transforming the world.”
From celebrities, chefs, and pro- athletes, the list also includes one CEO from Franklin- Lonely Planet’s Daniel Houghton, who was selected in the Media category.
Lonely Planet is the world’s most successful travel publisher, printing over 120 million books in eleven different languages. Along with guidebooks and eBooks to almost every destination on the planet, Lonely Planet also produces a range of gift and reference titles, an award-winning website and magazine and a range of digital travel products and apps.
In Houghton’s Forbes profile, it states that he is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and became the CEO of Lonely Planet in 2013. At that time, Lonely Planet had been in business for 44 years but was losing money on its print guidebooks, due to a 40% decrease in industry sales. Houghton focused his attention on digital services and also created a production company called Houghton Multimedia, which garnered attention from The Factory at Franklin and tobacco billionaire Brad Kelley. Together, Houghton and Kelly created NC2 Media through which Kelly acquired Lonely Planet for $77 million. Lonely Planet now owns the largest guidebook share of the market, according to Nielson, owning 25 % of the 90 million guidebook market.
Lonely Planet is headquartered in The Factory in Franklin. Follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.
The selection process for the 30 under 30 list is divided into 20 different categories: Art & Style, Consumer Tech, Education, Energy, Enterprise Tech, Finance, Food & Drink, Games, Healthcare, Hollywood & Entertainment, Law & Policy, Manufacturing & Industry, Marketing & Advertising, Media, Music, Retail & E-commerce, Science, Social Entrepreneurs, Sports and Venture Capital.
Forbes stated that the competition was more intense this year with over 15,000 applicants. To see the complete 30 under 30 list for Forbes, visit their website.
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